Shearing 2013

Shearing 2013 commenced late Friday evening.  We were a smaller crew than years passed, but experienced, so all went well.  I did feel a bit bad about keeping my "seasoned" relatives and friends working until 10:30 at night, but we were able to get all 25 sheep sheared. 

 Grandma Butchy, Daisy, and Jeri.

 Our favorite shearer: Brian F. who estimates he has sheared 60,000 sheep.  "You get the hang of it after the first 10,000."

 The crew is ready and waiting to bundle freshly shorn fleece.

 Auntie Linda and Daisy got in lots of loves.

 Auntie Linda and Grandma Butchy teaching their tie technique to Isaiah.

J.J, 1/2 Shetland, 1/2/ Icelandic girl was the last to be sheared.  She is one of the largest sheep in the flock anyway, but looked especially huge next to the nakeds.  Notice Annafleece, black ewe, to the back right.  She was carrying her baby belly off to the side after being sheared!

If anyone is interested in some nice fleece let me know.  Now we begin the baby waiting game.  I don't mind waiting, given our lack of spring weather.  It was -10 degrees on Friday morning! 

5 MInute Update

Yes, I actually set the timer for five minutes and am typing a quick update post.

Calves- still only Choice. Not sure what the rest of the girls are waiting for. The bulls are not happy about their separation, but it will last for a few more months at least.

Pigs- Would you believe Gertie and Gwennie both went into labor at the same time? On a Monday morning, of course. Between the two we have 16 beautiful baby red wattle piglets, over half of them are already spoken for. We haven't decided if we will be raising any feeders this summer or not, we'll see what the demand looks like after Earthfest. A new pasture area for the pigs is in the works, as soon as Nate and I get time to fence.

Sheep- Shearing went well, our assistants all oohed and aaahhed over the wool, there may have been some wheeling and dealing, and plenty of claiming, but at the end of the night 10 of the 20 fleeces had new owners! Sandy C. has already begun working with Darla's fleece, and claimed it for next year! She even sent a skein of it over for me. My poor spinning wheel hasn't seen any action since last summer.

Boys- The boys are both doing well, getting anxious for summer and more time at home with their animals. Isaiah's having a rough day of it today- his ear tube (place two years ago) is coming out, and causing him some pain. They spent time this morning at the local easter basket extravaganza, and both came home happy.

Growing things- I have heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and peppers under lights in the back porch, my seeds and potatoes should get here next week. Now for more warmth in the soil so things can begin to grow outside.

My five minutes is up, More to come!

Hi Don M!!!

I know,,,

7 years old!

4 years old!

Our newest addition, Purry.

yes, it's been way too long since I've blogged. No excuses, though I have to blame pinterest for some of my computer time being pulled away from blogging. It's addictive!

Quick recap of Fall: it was filled with busy times, kids' activities, lots of butchering, lots of chores, breeding groups arranged, and a few birthdays.

We finally had the opportunity to enjoy our home-grown red wattle pork. Five pigs were butchered in November, and were delicious! I can honestly say that it is the best pork I have had (especially the bacon!) We have been enjoying it!

Ten lambs were also butchered this fall, with less satisfactory results- the meat was great, just not a lot of it. The lack of rain in the end of summer and poor pasture management on my part led to lambs that were smaller than average. We did butcher a 2 1/2 year old ram, and he tastes very good. I was skeptic, but other than a bit tougher meat, the flavor is excellent! Plus the chops are more than one bite.

Lyle was moved back in with sows Gertie and Gwennie in November, and Hero was moved to the herd of 17 ewes in November too. It will be a busy spring! The goat girls- Nora

, Brie, and Pippa just made a trip to Jackie and Will's farm this past weekend for a visit with two of their bucks. This puts goat kids arriving in June, but that's ok. T-Rex our berkshire boar also made the trip to visit their gilts.

Our weather has been so mild that the cows are eating a lot less hay than projected. Nate has been spending time at some workshops to increase his expertise on the beef and marketing front. I'm just happy he's so willing to do extra chores before he leaves. Doing chores by headlamp has its challenges!

School is going well and I am still very thankful I made the move. Learning how to deal with sixth graders on a daily basis has its challenges, but we are managing! The realization of how much stress I was under at my old position is more evident now that I have some time to step back and look at it. I take the time to relax and enjoy my family more now. The biggest difference is probably my ability to leave work at work.

With our crazy warm weather this January well up until today, (it was 41 yesterday, but 8 degrees right now) the spring bug has definitely imbeded itself in my skin. Seed orders, planning for the farm, lots of ideas. Our biggest challenge right now is determining how fast to grow the size of our operations. More to come on that front!

July Recap

Isaiah & LouLou

• Gwendolyn gave birth to 8 purebred red wattle piglets, all thriving.



• The weather has been HOT!



• All things are growing on the Rice River Lamb Co. Farm, including pigs, goats, chicks, sheep, gardens, and children.



• Our turkey hens hatched out ten baby turkeys, they were only around for two days before the dang fox got them.



• Did I mention we have a fox problem? Caused plenty of sleepless nights listening to those darn things hunting.



• 96 meat bird chicks are growing in my front yard, surrounded by chicken wire, encircled in electronet. Did I mention that darn fox?
  


• A new Scottish Highland calf was born, Porter, joining Goldilocks and Chuck as calves here so far.
  


• Made a game changing occupation move; I will no longer be teaching special education in Eveleth, but will be teaching at the North Woods School in our hometown, in sixth grade! I am very excited about the change, but felt a bit heartsick over leaving the friends, students, and connections I've made in Eveleth in the last nine years.
  


• Added a guinea pig to the mix, Isaiah's first pet of his own. Just because you can never have too much going on!



• Looking forward to finishing July out with some county fair time, yoga for the kids, and a pedicure. (Probably should have had the pedicure about two months ago!)

June

Really. It's June. Our weather is not attesting the fact, but the calendar is. Today was the last day of school for students at my school. I have one more day of inservice tomorrow, and then I'm free. Well, not really. Then the whirlwind of summer activities start.
The gardens are patiently waiting for some plants to grow. We had awful wind for two days, and then frost last night, so I'm not rushing it.
The summer looks to be filling up fast, but with fun activities:

• Annalise will be coming for a visit next week


• Kohen has a week of orchestra camp


• Timber Days in Cook, with the popular pet show


• Bible School


• Gardens, gardens, gardens


• Pigs, pigs, pigs


• Weddings


• Family Reunions


• Visits from Friends


• Farmers Market


• A new ram


• and plenty more.

I just am ready to develop a summer routine, but it will have to wait a bit. I am anxious to just be able to soak in the days on the farm. Nate and I both agreed that we enjoy vacations, but are perfectly happy being able to stay home with the boys and all of the animals we enjoy. We've expanded our nightly routine from cups of tea in front of a dvr'd program, to include last checks on the pigs and cows. The cattle are not scared of my headlamp anymore, they know that treats accompany it. The little pigs have grown so much they rarely use their ramp into the shed anymore, they just jump.

Kohen has his heart set on bringing a pig to the pet show. But you may not know this- little pigs have a BIG voice. They squeal, grunt, and scream when you pick them up now. Even the ones we've handled daily. I'm hoping a harness and leash will be the answer. That's on the schedule for next week: pig leash training. Never would have thunk it. Isaiah cannot decide his victim-er-entry. Yesterday it was Darla, today it was Daisy. For some reason I don't think Daisy (who has never been farther then her pastures) would do well. I can't hardly get her to move from one pasture to the next if she doesn't want to. I'm encouraging chickens, chicks, poults, lambs, baby goats... Hey, it's not like the kid doesn't have options. We are excited to share our options with Brody, Cam, and Annalise. Maybe I should get some tshirts printed for all the kids. Might make some other local kids feel left out if they don't have a matching t-shirt though.

This weekend I get to learn something new. More on that later.

Thankfully we have not lost any more sheep, though we are constantly on guard. The goats are all out in the north field now, with access to the barn at night. So far they are doing great with it. My plan is to start milking on Monday. We are all anxious for fresh, raw, goat milk.

Well, that was rambling enough wasn't it. I better go and get some housework done before my husband gets home (he took a day trip to Rochester for farm supplies) and accuses me of spending all my time on the computer.

Farm Maternity Ward

Baby turkeys hatching in the kitchen. Baby chickens and poults (turkeys) in brooders in the back porch. Two pregnant ewes and three pregnant goats hanging out in the garage. One very pregnant pig ready to move to her private quarters later today. One turkey hen brooding a nest of about 30 turkey eggs. Yep, pregnant farm animals and babies are everywhere!
The spring chores are gearing up here. Earlier in the week Nate and I cleaned out the barn, yesterday we cleaned out the goat shed. My body is feeling the effects of a winter spent not shoveling, suddenly thrown back into the task.

Saturday mornings are now spent watching a large number of children chase balls at soccer. Kohen loves it- even though last Saturday was miserably cold and rainy. Today looks like it will be a beautiful day.

Freshly hatched turkey poult.

The school year is quickly winding down, and summer plans are unfolding. June looks to bring String Camp, Bible School, some Annalise time, Timberdays and a family reunion. In addition I have doubled my own garden space in addition to beginning to work on the garden space for the farm next door. Cattle will be coming in just over a week, and we have yet to put a single post in the ground. The corral lumber is scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, so then the fencing fun can begin. So far two of the cows have calved. I cannot wait to see the hairy babies!

Gertie's Story: When we brought the red wattles home the expectation was piglets around mid-June. I've been getting progressively concerned with how big Gertrude is looking. I'm thinking there may be a chance that she had an accidental breeding prior to leaving her original farm. I have to keep it as a possibility since I have been unable to get in touch with her breeders: they are not responding to email, and their phone has been disconnected. Hence, Nate and I scrambling to turn the goat shed and pen into a pig maternity ward. The plan is to move her later today and giver her her own space, more feed, and some extra attention. I'm very excited for our first litter of baby red wattles!

Poultry News: We had 20 chicken eggs and 14 turkey eggs in the incubator. We managed to have only one chicken hatch, and I took pity on the thing after three days and the boys and I headed to the farm store and picked up four more chicks for company: 2 production reds for Kohen- named Red Pepper and Red Apple. Two gold laced wyandottes for Isaiah with the names of TreeCutter and Tornado.

We have had seven turkeys hatch, one didn't make it and the other six are doing well. I'll probably clean the incubator out today the last two that have started to hatch did not survive to completely break out of the shell. However one of our turkey hens is currently residing on a large nest, so my hopes are for her to hatch out a brood naturally.

Our week was also busy with a sick boy. Croup, severe enough to warrant nebulizer treatments and steroids- and two days of missed work for this mom. He was still coughing some last night, but seems to be doing better.

The sun just broke over the trees- and is now shining directly in my eyes as I sit typing at the table. Guess that's my sign I better do some chores, feed some hungry animals, make some coffee, pack a soccer bag and get ready for a new day.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Making a Muck of It

Mukwah that is. Meet Mukwah. Great pyreness/mastiff. Gentle Giant. Mudroom Door chewer. Wanderer. Hopefully best friend and guardian to two boys.

Mukwah came to us via the Finnegans. The boys and I first appreciated him last fall. Last week they called and asked if we could give him a home. I agreed. Note the "I", (remind me that I need to have a "we" when making animal addition decisions.) I have an unhappy Nate. A furious Nate. It didn't help that Mukwah chewed on the mudroom door, or removed the mudflap from my dad's truck with those same teeth. The loping down the road until Nate caught up to him with the snowmobile three neighbors later didn't help much either. Nope, none of it has helped cement his place in my man's heart.

The little boy's heart is vastly different. He is in love with this dog. The big, gentle shadow who observes Kohen's every move. Mukwah comes to Kohen, he loves Kohen. The feelings are very mutual.

Mukwah was born in a barn and raised around a variety of animals. So far he has paid no mind to the turkeys, chickens, goats, sheep, or donkey. He did chase Hank, one of the outside cats, for about six feet before giving up.

Here's hoping that those soulful eyes start working their magic on Nate, and that Muk's place on our farm is permanent.

Winter...and that's all I'll say about that...

Shep modeling his latest accessory...snow.

Beautiful snow boy.

Kohen and Isaiah trekking out to the "animal rescue center" aka play system. (This picture was taken three weeks ago, and we've received even more snow.) Notice Kohen using a broom to "clear" a path. Isaiah made it out there but I had to go and rescue him back.

Kohen standing in front of one of the giant snowbanks.

A few weeks without internet and extra paperwork at work makes me a poor blogger. I'm going to take a page from cousin Chelsi and try to catch up, and be better.

First off, Hi Don M from Texas! Gramma Butchy is nudging me to blog more for you, so I'll do my best.

All the living things on our bit-o-farm have survived the massive snowbanks and bitter cold. I was a bit worried about Turk for awhile. In the coldest days (highs staying below zero, lows ito 40 below, he didn't come out of the pine tree for two days.) I guess his old age of five has taught him how to conserve his energy and make it through. Right now our numbers stand at 19 sheep, 3 goats, 1 donkey, 17 chickens, 7 turkeys, three outside cats, one indoor cat, one dog, and one guinea pig. The plan is to make the trek for the hogs in two weeks. I am excited for their arrival, but need to get a spot prepped for them. The south pasture where their permanent home will be won't work until the snowbanks reduce enough in size to get gates opened and shelters moved. Looks like they will be the first inhabitants of the barn.

I'm getting excited for spring, and starting to thinking about starting some seeds, peppers first. I'm excited for February to be here, it always feels much closer to spring for me.

Since it's Friday night and the boys don't have to be in bed at 7:30, the plan is to pop some popcorn, snuggle on the couch and watch "Ramona and Beezus." Geez, Taryn should be here!

New Year...New Ventures

As we begin a new year, we are organizing and planning new ventures. In our quest to diversify, we are soon going to be adding a new dimension to the Rice River Lamb Company. A red one. Not nearly as woolly as our current inhabitants. Red Wattle hogs. Google them, they are pretty unique, pretty rare, and pretty cool pigs. We visited a small group of them yesterday, and made the decision to purchase two gilts (young females.) They will arrive in a month.

The Red Wattle met our requirements for friendliness, flavor, and a breed that will do well on pasture. We are excited to soon add this element to our small, niche market farm. Nate and the boys had a conversation on the way home about ham, bacon, and sausage all with a bit of drool and gleam in the eye. The plan is to sell some feeder pigs and pork along with filling our freezer.

As we develop our farm goals they remain simple and straightforward. To supply ourselves and others with top quality, naturally raised, respected, cared for food. To know that the lamb, chicken, or soon pork that I put on our table was able to have a quality life, grown in sunshine, good feed and love. To keep it small enough and simple enough that we can continue to enjoy doing chores. To see our boys learn lessons that television and the classroom cannot give them. (As a side note, Isaiah wanted to bring one of the five week old piglets home yesterday, on his lap. He's an instant gratification guy, and didn't want to wait a month and then bring home 7 month old gilts. Though he was OK with leaving the babies on the farm when he heard the squeals they emit when picked up!) Our plan to start is two gilts and a boar, a small breeding group. I had to give Isaiah a promise that when we do have babies, he will be able to hold them.

I am in love (call me a romantic in mud boots) with the idea of raising our lamb, our pork, milk goats, along with a few turkeys and chickens and a garden that contains more edible produce than weeds. The sheep provide us with meat and wool (my first order of yarn is being processed at the mill right now), the pigs will provide us with meat, the goats provide milk for our family for drinking, cheese, yogurt and soap, with extra for the hogs and chickens, the chickens give us eggs and meat. It feels good to know that we can achieve a balance with our small bit of a farm. To be able to produce enough to share with others is an added bonus.

As I write this I think of how busy this spring and summer will be with the animals and gardens. Others might get excited about planning a vacation, me, give me some animals to take care of. Though I must admit that the care taking is much easier in the sunshine, grass and mud than it is right now as the snow flies outside my windows. Chores right now require down jacket, boots, my new super cool "ponytail" hat, mittens, shovel, five gallon buckets of warm water, and a willing husband doesn't hurt either. Speaking of, we better go shovel a path out the mud room door. Happy New Year everyone!

Cowboy Up...Isaiah's Three!

Isaiah chose a cowboy theme for his third birthday party. It all started with wanted poster invitations, and encompassed family, friends and fun before ending with a cowboy birthday cake. All while the snow fell fast from the sky. We appreciated everyone who braved the first snow of the year to come and help celebrate!

Some of the cowpokes waiting to "Brand the Cow."Addison, Heidi, Isaiah, Kohen & Alex.Great-Grandma Butchy was lucky enough to open packages.

I've come to realize that for my kids the most memorable part of the party is the games we play. We didn't have as many as the halloween party two weeks ago, but we did enjoy some cowboy freeze dance, roundup and branding the cow. Roundup was a great time. Six mini brooms, six colors of balloons scattered around the great room. Each cowboy or cowgirl was assigned a color and had to round up their balloons with the brooms. Add in some cowboy hats, bandanas, sheriff badges, western silly bandz, and cowboy suckers; I think the kids enjoyed themselves.

Nate and I worked together on Isaiah's cake. A chocolate, pincherry filling, and strawberry cake that included "Cowhide" complete with a three patch, bandana, and cowboy ready to lasso up some ice cream. I even made the slow-cook, as in all day, goat milk caramel sauce to top the ice cream. Guess if I had been really crazy I could have made goat milk ice cream, but I ran out of time.

Gramma Jan made the trek from Rochester to help her middle grandson enjoy his birthday. Nanny, Papa, Grandpa Bud and Grandma Butchy also made it. Friends that joined us included Crystal & Rory Scuffy, Cari, Heidi and Ben Johnson, and Eric, Stephanie, Alex, Addison and Zoey Burckhardt.

Isaiah's present from us was a violin. He always wants to play his brother's, which at 1/8 is too big for him. We bought him a 1/10 size, and he is very excited to start to learn what Kohen knows. Of course Kohen had to try and steal some of the spotlight and take out his violin to play a song for everyone.

Today looks like it will be a day of clearing snow, chores, and hopefully I can sneak away for a few hours to go to my friend Jeri's for our spinning group!

October, here we come!

October First, wow! Here's a few updates, hope for time for a more complete post with pictures tomorrow.

• The first four weeks of school have flown by. They were very busy weeks, and my classroom still isn't in the groove I like it to be, but it takes time.
• Kohen still loves school, and loves his teacher even more. On the second day of school she gave them each a small 2x2 inch square of polar fleece "blankie" as a comfort item. Kohen might as well be nicknamed Linus. I had to spend ten minutes searching the house for blankie before he would go to bed tonight. It goes in his pocket to school each day too. Whatever it takes, right?
• In sheep news, I am down to my winter size flock of 17 (15 ewes, one ram, one wether) along with the eight still to be butchered. It feels good to have sold so many ewes to good homes. In fact two moved up the road a few miles and are being spoiled as backyard pets! My plan is to not breed until late November this year. I want to get a tighter worming regime completed first to combat the crazy deer liver flukes that inhabit all the pastures around here this year.
• In goat news, I am still milking Nora twice a day, and still getting a gallon of milk a day! She is such a good, mellow goat. Got to make the breeding plans for the goat girls too.
• Weekend plans include planting trees, putting the garden to bed (have to remove carrots and beets first), planting garlic, cleaning the coop, finishing siding the barn, and general fall cleanup. Is there really only two days in the weekend?
• Tomorrow night the boys and I get to attend a bonfire as our final "Moms and Kids" event of the season.
• Last weekend we attended the Roach Family Pig Roast. I wish there was a way to bottle up this event. It is the coolest, laid back, get-together around. I love Missy and Tom for their great hog roasting abilities and group hosting abilities. It doesn't hurt that Kohen has decided he is "in love" with their daughter! The combination of cool fall night, dozens and dozens of people you wouldn't see all in the same place, a wonderful assortment of food and goodies, bonfires, wine, home brew, I could go on and on. Thank you Tom and Missy!
• I'm trying to come to terms with Is turning three in a month, not sure I'm ready to be done with the two's stage. He idolizes his big brother, scary as it is.
• Koe is back to violin lessons. I am amazed at the memory capacity of his brain. He started back like we had never stopped for three months! We even played a pizzicato duet of "Boil 'em Cabbage Down" the other night at his lesson.

Summer's End

You know that summer is wrapping up when:

• You finally have a tomato harvest, though few of them actually make it into the kitchen.


• You experience relief that the weather is cool enough for a young boy to wear jeans, thus hiding his mosquito bitten legs from the public.


• You need to close windows for the night.


• You are making phone calls to order hay and firewood.


• It's too dark to milk at 9:30 pm anymore.


• When scrubbing the floor you reflect that this is the last time you'll scrub wayward wild blueberries off the floor for a year.


• The sheep are looking wooly.


• The canning jars are lined up on towels on the counter, filled with beans, pickles in training, and one last batch of wild blueberry jam.


• You can actually bake some bread during the day without causing heatstroke in house members.


• Family members fly into town for the Heiam Foundation benefit.

Post Please!

I know I have been lacking in blogging when even my hubby asks me if I've blogged lately, and he is usually complaining about my computer time! If you are on facebook you know things have been busy with the boys and Izzie's recovery. He did receive a clean bill of health from his Mayo doctor last week at his follow up appt., so we are grateful. The biggest treat is how much he has changed in the last few weeks without his tonsils and adenoid. He eats, breathes, sleeps, and talks so much better! His amount of energy and appetite have improved a ton! He is just happy now, and more mischievous. We are very glad that we went through with the surgery. I'm hoping his immune system will improve enough that I will use many fewer sick days this school year.
Speaking of school, Koe is getting so excited! We've already packed in the school supplies. I was lucky enough to hit some great rummage sales while we were in Rochester and stock up on clothes for this fast-growing boy.
Speaking of rummage sales, my grandmother and I are having a rummage sale today and tomorrow in Cook. Having it at my dad's vacant building (for sale by the way!) has been great. It's so nice to be able to set up and just shut the doors. I've sold a lot of baby clothes and gear, but have a lot to sell still. Hopefully tomorrow is a good sale day as well.
Finally, I wanted to link to the radio interview I did this morning on KAXE. It was their Friday morning "What's for Breakfast" Feature, but included not only what I had for breakfast, but what was for sale at the rummage sale, why my name has only one f, how I met my husband, and even the usage of a lemon zester. It was fun, and random, plus I get some great Homestead Mills pancake mix for doing it! If you have 15-20 minutes, it might be an amusing listen: link here.

Happy Fourth of July!

Isaiah, Kohen, Braeden, and Chase, ready to roll.

Dave Manick ready for Kohen to throw some giant jawbreakers to him! What a guy! He told Koe he would drive up to watch him in the parade, and he did complete with his snowmobile helmet to protect him from all the candy Koe was throwing out!

Much of our celebration took place yesterday at Orr's 3rd of July Festivities. They have a great children's parade and we made the drive to participate. Kohen, Isaiah, Braeden, and Chase proved their patriotism. So well in fact, they won the grand prize for their entry "Four for the Fourth." It was very sunny, and hot, but we made it through. With the help of some cotton candy! This morning we awoke to a lot of rain. From 3-9 am our rain gauge registered 5, FIVE, inches! Yikes!

Artists

Combine a beautiful summer afternoon, an easel bought for $1.00 at the Lion's Club garage sale, some old watercolor paints from my high school days, a few clothespins and paper plates, and you have two happy boys.

Tonsilfree...is that a word? How do you spell it?

Isaiah post surgery, it took him two days to drink that sippy of juice.

So it has been a week since Isaiah's surgery, and he finally ate a freezee today. Along with some mac n cheese. I can count every single rib on him from across the room, and his breath smells obnoxious, even though we brush twice a day. The road to recover has been rocky, but we keep trekking. The good news is his lymph nodes have already gone down in size. The bad news is we broke Nate's green chair with all the rocking. As long as he gets his tylenol every four hours he is functioning. The toughest part is getting him to take the tylenol. Bribery, force, all have been executed in the past week to help Isaiah deal with the pain of his healing throat. The funniest part came via postal service last Saturday. A 5x7 picture of Isaiah's tonsils on a cartoon face/mouth. He is fascinated by it and carries it around the house. I am simply disturbed.

Updates

Isaiah: Isaiah had his surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids last Tuesday at Mayo. Surgery went well, though he was a wild child when he was coming out of anesthesia and pulled out his iv and other monitoring devices. I ended up sitting in the recovery room rocking him for over an hour before they would let us head to a room. After an overnight stay we brought him home to Nate's moms for a couple of days before making the drive home. So far so good, though it's a challenge to get him to eat, drink, or take his medication. It will all be worth it if we don't have the periodic fever and other symptoms.
BWCAW: Before Isaiah's surgery Nate and I had a quick trip to the Boundary Waters with our friends Andy and Mandy. It was a short camping and paddling adventure, but overall a good one. This was the first time Nate and I have gone camping together, along with the first time we have been away from the boys for that long of a stretch.
Animals: While we were gone we brought Feta to Geri, one of my spinning friends farm for a stay. She took good care of her and was happy with the milk. In other goat news, Feta's sister will be coming to live with us on Wednesday. Lots of goat milk here, anyone have any ideas? I'm currently perfecting a goat milk fudge recipe.
The baby turkeys finally hatched while we were gone, and then were eaten by a fox (assumed) before we ever saw them. My parents said they were a variety of colors, hopefully we will get one more batch this summer, and this time they will be caged.
The sheep are doing well, the lambs are growing fast with all the good pasture and clover this year. Nate took time tonight to go and mow down the thistles in the south field.
Daisy the donkey has been busy protecting her charges. She actually killed a woodchuck this last week. She loves when the goats are in her pasture, though Brie sometimes annoys her enough to get in a game of chase.

Love

Kohen with Opie.

Isaiah with Darla.

Now that school is complete for another year, my goal is to spend more time with the sheep. Since turning them out to pasture they haven't been socialized much. They are getting fat and lazy on all the grass and clover. Last night Darla and Opie received extra loves from the boys. I believe the feelings were reciprocated.

In other news, I will be on KAXE on Wednesday morning for an interview for their local food beet. KAXE is a community supported local radio station that I listen to every morning on my commute. If you are in the area tune in around 7:15 am to 91.7, or http://www.kaxe.org/. Kohen's favorite part of the morning show is Tuesdays for the phenology report, but hopefully he'll listen to his mom on Wednesday!

New Editions

It has been a busy spring. I finally feel as if I am catching up, just in time for summer to arrive. One more week of school, and then summer can begin.

Lots of news happening, I'll give a few bites:

• new editions: Manda lambed last Tuesday afternoon, in the front yard with the rest of the flock watching. This first time mom gave birth to a black krunet (white spot on top of head) ewe. She was licking her off as I pulled in the driveway. Both are doing well. Annalise, our niece, has been staying with us for the last week, and will be here until Friday. Her mom, Holly, had complications with the end of her pregnancy and has been hospitalized for over two weeks. Being 300 miles away the best way we could help out was to bring Annalise up for an extended visit. Having two 2 1/2 year olds in the house is a new experience; Annalise and Isaiah are only three weeks apart in age. We've been keeping her busy, and she loves all the animals. We'll bring her home on Friday when school is done, and get to meet new baby Gabriella as well.


• Nate's been busy with various small jobs this season, but no big building projects lined up for the summer. Anyone need a new garage, remodeling or additions?


• We've been rotating the sheep often as we wait for the grass to catch up. Having 30 ewes and lambs in two rolls of electonet makes for frequent moving. They did a great job on the front lawn though. We had them in the same area last year and that is now the nicest lawn on the farm. Good fertilizer plus the aerating effects of little hooves. It was an added bonus to look out the windows and watch the lambs three feet away. The kids loved it.


• Kohen had his preschool graduation last week. He looked quite something in his suit and cap and gown. I was only mildly frustrated with his on-stage behavior this year. In his attempts to counteract the bright stage lights he spent half the concert portion of the evening with his hands cupped around his eyes. Oh well, entertaining!


• We finished planting the garden yesterday. I'm happy with our efforts so far this year. In addition to the main garden I now have four raised beds along the waterline to the woodshed. They are filled with tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. My parents are also planting their potato patch garden with the three sisters method this year, and have also started another garden that will grow potatoes this year. Hopefully we have a better season then last year.


• June is going to be a busy month with classes for me, a BWCA trip for Nate and I, bibleschool, and Isaiah's surgery at Mayo. I'm hoping the lambs and garden can keep growing well through it all.

Finally!

After fifteen days of waiting since the last lambs, we finally have a new one! Annafleece gave birth to a nice sized white ram this morning at about 6:15. Of course Kohen thinks he is a keeper since he is Anna's, but Nate and I are not overly impressed with his fleece. Time will tell. Seven ewes remain looking like they are going to lamb at any moment. I though Kizzy would be the first to lamb, and that was three weeks ago! I no longer waste my sleep checking on them every two and a half hours each night. If I wake up with Isaiah's coughing/breathing (that's a whole extra post.) I turn on the "lamb cam" and survey the seen. Otherwise the alarm does not go off until 5:15 am.
I am in the midst of a crazy schedule and feeling very overworked. School is crazy with the spring season of IEP meetings, transitioning students from early childhood special education in anticipation of next year, lambing, trying to get the seedlings and garden going, along with Earthfest on Saturday. Please come to the Iron Range EarthFest on Saturday in Mt. Iron. I enjoyed it so much last year that I have a booth this year! Of course I could use an entire day to get organized and ready, but in reality I have about six hours, in the course of three nights. Should be interesting! I have a feeling I'll be skirting fleeces at about 10:30 on Friday night by the light of a headlamp.
We are also preparing for taking Isaiah to Mayo Clinic a week from today. We are determined to get to the bottom of the lymph node/tonsil issue. I picked up a paper copy of all of his medical records pertaining to these issues last night, the stack is over an inch thick! We are praying for some answers and relief for his little body so that he can eat and drink, and grow!
Better quit blogging and get some work done, I'll post pictures soon.